College Football: Penn State emotions running high for white out against Northwestern

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — There are already protective measures in place to help these Nittany Lions prepare for a possible fourth straight victory stop.

A student white out has been called for Saturday’s game against the high-flying and undefeated Northwestern Wildcats, now suddenly ranked and respectable.

Head coach Bill O’Brien even addressed the white out during his weekly news conference, saying how much his players need a fully organized and boisterous student section to add a layer of motivation and even intimidation.

After all, this is set up as another sleepy noon game, where it’s been almost stylish to arrive late and cheer as if you’re working off a hangover.

Step two for O’Brien was then revving the intensity at a mid-week practice with reporters watching. Reportedly, there was plenty of yelling, demonstration and colorful language.

Of course, there is a lot more at stake for the Nittany Lions than simply putting on a good homecoming performance.

This unique season must be about those players who came before, as well as those who will come after. And with no bowl game or Big Ten title possibilities, a date with undefeated Northwestern needs to be enough.

Seniors such as quarterback Matt McGloin and linebacker Mike Mauti believe that it is.

Will the rest of their teammates truly buy in?

Because the line of thinking goes that Penn State’s engines can run hot for only so long before sputtering, and after a highly charged victory over Illinois, this shapes up as an unavoidable letdown of sorts.

“We’ll motivate ourselves,” McGloin said. “They’re 5-0, and it’s our homecoming. There’d be nothing better than for us to go out there and give them their first loss.”

Said Mauti: “I don’t have any concerns about my teammates matching intensity. We only have a fixed number of games, so I’m not worried about any kind of lull or anything like that.”

“There are plenty of things to motivate us to play hard.”

It almost sounds as if Mauti would be willing to ensure that’s the case, even if it takes some behind-closed-doors “prodding.”

Because Saturday’s opponent is like none the Nittany Lions have faced so far.

The Wildcats run an ultra-fast tempo, relying on the constant shifting of quarterback Kain Colter. He’s a passer, then he’s a runner, then he’s a receiver.

Take last Saturday against Indiana. The ’Cats dropped a 700-yard bomb of offense, highlighted by Colter’s four rushing touchdowns (161 yards) and his nine receptions (131 more yards).

Trevor Siemian stepped in nicely at quarterback for much of the day, throwing for 308 yards.

While NU also is getting about 100 rushing yards a game from undersized tailback Venric Mark, Colter makes everything run.

“They do a great job of spreading you out and making you make plays in space,” O’Brien said.

Translation: The Wildcats are always one juke or one slip away from changing the game.

And this is where the ultimate matchup of the day will occur: The Northwestern offense against an experienced, improving, attacking Penn State defense.

Seven hundred yards of offense vs. a defense that hasn’t been scored upon in the first quarter all season.

Will the Lions’ steely front seven be able to keep Mark and Colter from using their speed to break around the edges for big gains?

Actually, what would help immensely with that is if the ’Cats are only given so many chances.

That’s where McGloin and the Penn State offense comes into play.

The Lions are on a serious roll of protecting the football with only one turnover in their last four games. The goal would be to grind out long, time-consuming drives Saturday — ones that actually end in touchdowns — to keep Northwestern off the field.

The formula would seem to call for loosening things up early by putting the ball in the hands of quick, shifty tailback Bill Belton before taking the wrecking ball to Wildcats’ defense with big backs Zach Zwinak and Mike Zordich. But, so far, NU has been surprisingly stout against the run.

Which means the results could truly hinge again on McGloin’s mind (changing plays at scrimmage) and his arm. His short-to-intermediate passing game has expanded with the use of several, easy-to-locate tight ends.

He’s thrown for 10 touchdowns against just two interceptions.

“What I’m doing better is going through my progressions and seeing the whole field and completing my reads and not just focusing on one guy,” he said. “I just need to be more consistent.”

He said he needs to not fizzle in the second half, after sizzling in the first.

He claims he and his teammates will be driven in each game this season. It’s a promise that suddenly doesn’t seem so hollow any more.

“This is a new chapter we’re starting here at Penn State,” McGloin said. “Especially the senior class. We have the opportunity to leave behind our mark and leave this place in good hands.”